


What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

by enigmaticblue



Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-21
Updated: 2010-06-21
Packaged: 2017-10-10 05:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/96104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cam consoles Hodgins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jesterlady](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Jesterlady).



Cam hadn’t much liked seeing her face on a melon—particularly when the melon was being shot full of holes. Under the circumstances, she thought she could make allowances, however.

 

And now, she saw Hodgins bent over his microscope, feverishly making notes, at least an hour after she’d seen him leave to go home.

 

“What are you doing here, Dr. Hodgins?” she asked, swiping her card to gain access to the platform.

 

“Just finishing up a few things.” He didn’t look up from his work. “I needed to finish this report.”

 

Cam peered over his shoulder and realized that he was working on identifying specimens from an ancient dig site—a site that had been closed for lack of funding some time ago. “And that was so pressing you felt you had to come back to work?”

 

Hodgins stopped, one hand hovering over the slides, the other gripping the microscope tightly. “I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep tonight.”

 

Cam suspected she knew what this was about—Sweets had dropped a discreet word in her ear earlier that day, casually asking, “Did you know that Angela and Wendell are dating? Oh, and Dr. Hodgins stopped by my office earlier.”

 

God help her, Cam knew exactly what Sweets was communicating while trying not to break confidentiality.

 

And Cam took her role as administrator seriously—it was her responsibility to smooth out the rough edges, make it easier for her people to gather evidence and make a case. She made sure her people weren’t screwed over, weren’t worked too hard, and that they had what they needed. Right now, she thought Hodgins might need a friend.

 

“You want to get a drink?” Cam asked.

 

Hodgins shook his head with a rueful smile. “That’s why I came back here.”

 

“Last I heard, the Jeffersonian didn’t serve alcohol,” Cam said.

 

The sound Hodgins made was only half a laugh, but Cam would take what she could get. “I went by the Founding Fathers, and Wendell and Angela were there.”

 

Cam winced. “Ouch.”

 

“Yeah.” He sat in silence for a long moment, staring down at the microscope.

 

“Good thing for you I know a nearby dive bar,” Cam said. “Let me buy you a drink, Dr. Hodgins.”

 

He shook his head. “If I start, I may not stop.”

 

“Good thing for you that I drove, then,” Cam returned. “Come on. I’m not leaving until you do.”

 

His glare was half-hearted at best. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

 

Cam smiled. “No, I’m not. Let’s go.”

 

~~~~~

 

There were times when Cam wanted to get away from the Jeffersonian, and her co-workers. She genuinely _liked_ everyone she worked with, but they all spent a hell of a lot of time together, both on and off the clock. But those close relationships meant that Cam didn’t get much time away from work, and sometimes that’s what she needed most.

 

She thought Hodgins might need the same thing right about now.

 

“How did you find this place?” he asked after they both had their drinks. Cam stuck to beer, but Hodgins was drinking whiskey—straight up.

 

Cam shrugged. “One of the U.S. Attorneys invited me out, and this is where he took me.”

 

Hodgins craned his neck, looking around the bar. “So, this is a cop bar.”

 

“There are a lot of cops who come here,” she acknowledged, running a finger through the ring of condensation left on the scarred wooden table. “But I haven’t seen anyone else from the Jeffersonian.”

 

“And that makes it perfect,” Hodgins said.

 

“Something like that.” Cam let the silence hang, sipping her beer while Hodgins finished his whiskey and ordered a second. “You want to talk about it?”

 

“Not really, no,” Hodgins said. “I already talked to Sweets. He’s surprisingly helpful at times.”

 

“He can be,” Cam admitted.

 

Hodgins threw back the rest of his drink. “Sorry about the experiment—with the pictures.”

 

Cam suppressed a smile. “I think I can be understanding under the circumstances.”

 

“I want to be happy for them,” Hodgins said suddenly. “But I can’t.”

 

“I know.” Cam’s voice was soft, and she _did_ know. She could still remember how it felt to walk away from Andrew, knowing that she wasn’t enough for him, that her love wasn’t enough.

 

Hodgins’ red-rimmed eyes met her own. “Yeah, I guess you would.”

 

In that moment, Cam wished she wasn’t Hodgins’ boss. She wished he wasn’t still in love with Angela, that the two of them could make something work.

 

As it was, however, they would both have to settle for friendship—but there was a lot to be said for friendship.

 

Cam covered Hodgins’ hand with her own. “It does get easier,” she promised.

 

His expression lightened. “Thank you.”

 

“Any time.” Cam squeezed his hand, then withdrew. “Any time.”


End file.
